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Cancer Cells Detected Using $400 Digital Camera

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the diy-medicine dept.

fergus07 writes "Researchers have detected oral cancer cells using a fiber-optic cable and an off-the-shelf Olympus E-330 camera worth $400. The work by Rice University biomedical engineers and researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center could improve access to diagnostic imaging tools in many parts of the world where these expensive resources are scarce. In the tests, a common fluorescent dye was used to make cell nuclei glow brightly and images were taken using the tip of the fiber-optic bundle attached to the camera. The distorted nuclei, which indicate cancerous and pre-cancerous cells, could then be distinguished on the camera's LCD monitor."

5 of 90 comments (clear)

  1. stats by Lord+Ender · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A divining rod can detect water, too. What matters is the false positive and false negative rate.

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    1. Re:stats by aliquis · · Score: 3, Informative

      The E-330 is an outdated four-thirds design. The four-thirds sensor is somewhat smaller than Canons APS-C-sized sensors and even more so than the regular APS-C-sized sensors used by Nikon, Sony, Pentax and so on.

      Smaller sensor should in general mean lower price.

      And it's as small as DSLR-sensors go.

      Of course you could most likely do it with any DSLR camera. But the example was most likely made to say "any cheap DSLR camera", not especially the E-330 (though it do have live view, something most of them do have today to, which let it view the sensor input on the display rather than in the optical viewfinder. Nowadays most of them can be tethered / view data by HDMI to.)

    2. Re:stats by hedwards · · Score: 3, Funny

      I've actually had good luck with that myself. Not with water, but with locating coins and such. It varies from person to person to the extent that it works, but for those with the aptitude it's more than a little freaky. As far as I can tell it seems to be similar in nature to an actual metal detector.

  2. Congress... by pitchpipe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    ... better get on this to make sure that this technology can't be used in the U.S. otherwise costs might go down. Similar to how we can't import drugs: medically, if it's cheap, it's dangerous.

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  3. Cost? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Soo... a $400 camera and a $10,000 fiber optic cable?